“Excuse me,” I said to the stewardess. “I would like to order the California Salad.” With a look of dismay and frustration she said, “I need to find out if we still have any salads left.” And with that, she stomped down the aisle way toward the back of the plane. Sure, the beverage cart had come by about 15 minutes earlier, but I was on a cross country flight and had fallen asleep during the initial cart service. The stewardess’ did however give me a menu which means that you don’t have to order exactly at the time they first come by. We still had 3 hours left in the air!

10 minutes later, I am still in my seat waiting for my salad. Curious about the status of my request, I flagged down another stewardess who happened to be passing by and politely told her that I had ordered a salad about ten minutes ago and wanted to check on the status of it. The only word she uttered to me was, “ok,” and then she went to the back of the plane…the same direction the first stewardess had gone. I remained calm thinking that my salad would be there any second. My stomach started to growl with anticipation and I was getting hungrier by the minute; just imagining that wonderful salad I was about to eat.

12 minutes goes by and still no salad! What is going on? I thought to myself. All I want is a salad. Either they have it or they don’t. I decided to ring the call button; but just as I was reaching up to push it, I heard the voice of a stewardess asking if people wanted coffee. My first thought was…they had all this time to make coffee, but can’t bring me a pre-made salad. At this point, I am beyond famished, and starting to get really upset. But as I normally do, I try and look at the bright side and turn a bad situation into a learning experience. What did I learn? Avoid flying on this airline.

A few minutes later, the stewardess that was passing out coffee, reached my seat and asked me if I wanted coffee. This was the second stewardess that I had flagged down earlier to ask about the status of my salad. It was almost as if she did not recognize me. I asked her again, “I ordered a salad nearly 30 minutes ago. Do you know where it is.? All she said was, “let me check.” And once she was out of coffee, she went back to the back of the plane. A couple of minutes later, she came up to me and said, “Sir, its coming.” Why she did not have it, I don’t know, but nevertheless, I almost jumped for joy with the idea of just eating this salad.

5 minutes later. I decided to look towards the back of the plane. I wish I had not done that, because what I saw nearly made me jump out the window. I saw the original stewardess I had ordered the California salad from, walking down the aisle with a snack tray in her hand, asking the passengers if they wanted cookies, or peanuts. I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. It hurt, so I was not. She finally made her way to me. She asked me if I wanted cookies or peanuts. I looked around to see if I was on candid camera of MTVs Punked, but when Ashton Kucher did not come out, I knew this was reality.

I must have really mentally checked out for a second, because she asked me again, “Sir, do you want peanuts or cookies?” I said, “No, but I would like my California salad.” Then in a very nonchalant fashion she said, “OH, let me get it for you.” And with that, she went to the back of the plane. At that point, I said forget it, and decided to just go to sleep. I was awakened by a tap on my shoulder and a voice saying, “Sir, it will be $8.00.” as she placed the California salad on my lap. I gave her the money and she just walked away without uttering another word.

All I could think to myself as I ravaged thru my California salad was that this would never have happened on Southwest Airlines!

concert ticket

On July 24^th, my wife and I attended a Lionel Richie concert. Lionel Richie is my all time favorite performer, singer, and songwriter. There is something about his music that truly touches my spirit. One of my life long ambitions was to see him in concert. I guess you could say that it was on my bucket list. One month prior to the concert, I was driving to the airport and noticed a billboard promoting the concert. Since I did not have time to call and buy the tickets myself, I immediately called my brother and asked him to purchase the two best seats he could buy.

For the next few weeks, I was filled with excitement and anticipation for the concert. I would play Lionel Richie songs all day, whether I was in my car or at my house. Songs like, “Sail on, Stuck on you, Three times a Lady, Hello ect”, would play in my head constantly. I could not wait for the night of the concert. However, underlying all of my excitement was one concern. Often times, artists, use concerts as a way to promote their new albums. Would Lionel do the same? Sure his new music is good, but I fell in love with his old music. That is what I wanted to hear; and that is what I paid top dollar to experience.

Concert night! The crowd was abuzz with excitement. Drinks were flowing, people were socializing, and the mood was set. The announcer spoke up and went thru Lionel’s musical achievements which read like a curriculum vitae of a Nobel Prize winner. Then he said the words that everyone wanted to hear, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Lionel Richie.” The cheers were deafening. So much so that it was hard to hear the song he was singing. It sounded good but a bit unfamiliar. As the noise from the crowd subsided, the song he was singing was loud and clear. Unfortunately, it was not, “Sail On, or Hello or any of the songs I came to hear. It was one of his newer songs. Uh Oh, I thought to myself, my biggest fear is being realized, he is going to sing all of his new songs and promote his latest album. I did not pay to hear this! I sunk in my chair and mentally prepared myself to accept what was happening. I tried to psych myself out by saying that even though he is not going to sing my favorite songs; at least I can say that I saw Lionel Richie in concert. But who was I kidding, I was truly disappointed.

After he sang his first song, he walked to the edge of the stage, shook hands with people that were lucky enough to get front row seats and said the following, “I can tell that this crowd did not come to hear me sing my new music. You guys want to hear my old school music…when I was with the Commodores. You want to hear my greatest hits don’t you? I probably yelled “YES” louder than anyone in the building. “Alright,” he said, “tonight we are going to sing every single one of my greatest hits.”

The concert was absolutely amazing! He sounded just as good as he does on CDs. He was personable and even signed autographs during the show. Because I literally sang every song, it took my voice two days to recover from being so hoarse. I could not have asked for a better evening.

As salespeople, we are constantly taught the importance of uncovering needs. But often times we either tell our customers what we think they want to hear, which is truly what we think is important or we ignore them when we find out what their needs are. Could Lionel Richie have given a good performance singing his newest music? Yes. Would I have enjoyed the concert? Somewhat. But, by understanding what the people truly wanted and then giving them what they wanted, he has thousands of people saying that that was one of the best nights of their lives as opposed to it was just ok or how disappointing the performance was. The moral of the story is that if you uncover the needs of your customers and then fulfill those needs, you will have people saying how impactful you are vs. just being ok or missing the mark completely.

“What do you mean you can’t find my bag,” I said with obvious frustration coming from my voice.  Due to a meeting that ran late in Arizona, I missed my flight to Oakland and found myself standing at the baggage counter.  “Sir, our policy is that when a bag misses a flight, it is put on the next flight; so your bag should be here in an hour.”  “An hour,” I said, but I am already running late for dinner with one of my customers.  Sir, I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do about it, you will just have to wait like everyone else,” the agent said with a sarcastic tone.  Those were the last words I wanted to hear as Oakland was the 3rd city I had traveled to in three days.  I wanted so bad to just go to the customer dinner, eat as quickly as possible and then get to my room for some much needed rest.

“I still can’t find my bag,” was what I told the same agent that had helped me the first time.  The first flight after mine had come in and still no bag.  “Sir, hopefully your bag will be on the next flight which should arrive in about an hour.  Or, we can deliver it after 10:00 AM tomorrow.”  Neither option was reasonable.  I had an 8:00AM meeting the next morning, so delivering my bag after 10:00 AM simply would not work.  Secondly, at that point, I had missed the dinner with the customer as the whole missing my original flight and missing bag ordeal had already made me 2 hours late.  I said, “Can you please work with me?  Can we have someone deliver my bag tonight?  I need my clothes and business materials for my 8:00 AM appt.  I don’t care what time tonight you deliver them as long as I get them by 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.”  “Sir, you can either wait for your bag which will hopefully be on the next fight or we can deliver it after 10:00 AM tomorrow.”

In utter frustration, I said, “Please get me your manager.”  He said, “Sir, it won’t make a difference, I have already told you your options.”  “I understand that, I said, but can you please get me your manager.”  “OK, he said, but it will not make a difference.”  And with that, he pranced off through a door behind the counter.  About 10 minutes later, he came walking out with a lady that I assumed to be his manager.  I prepared myself for the scene that was about to go down, because it was so predictable.  I knew that he had already told her that he explained their policies to me and that I was being unreasonable.  In other words, “Boss, I have already done my job.”

Just as I suspected, she said, “Sir, John has already explained your situation to me.  I understand your situation, but you only have two options at this point; wait for the next flight or have us deliver your bags after 10:00 AM tomorrow.  That is the best we can do.”  The only thing that kept me from blowing up was the fact that she had a pleasant demeanor about her.  There was no sarcasm in her voice, unlike the original agent that helped me.  Controlling my emotions, I said, “With all due respect, you do not understand my situation.”  Yes, I did miss my original flight which was my fault.  However, my bag should have been on the next flight which it was not.  I missed a very important dinner with a customer of mine as a result.  In addition, if my bag is not on the next flight, I don’t know what I am going to do because my meeting materials, clothes and everything else I need is in my bag.  It is already 10:30 PM and there are no stores open for me to buy clothes for tomorrow.  In addition, my meeting starts before any stores open tomorrow so I will not be able to buy clothes in the morning.  On top of all that, I forgot my cell phone charger at home so my battery is dead.  Because of that, I was not able to call my customer and tell him that I would not be able to meet him for dinner; so he thinks that I stood him up.  I am beyond tired because I have been traveling every week and this is my third city this week.  I was hoping to get in, have dinner and get some much needed sleep tonight.  Instead, here I am at the airport at 10:30 at night waiting for my bag to arrive.  Do you still think you understand my situation?”  What transpired next completely surprised me.

She said, “Mr. Brown, thank-you for telling me your full story.  If I were in your shoes, I would be feeling the same way that you do right now.  I am so sorry that we have been so focused on what we can’t do as opposed to what we can do for you. I am supposed to get off work in 15 minutes, but I will stay until the last two flights come in…and when you bag arrives, I will personally deliver them to your hotel since our baggage courier may not be available.  I want you to go to your hotel and get some rest for your meeting tomorrow morning.  I will personally take care of your bags.”  Then she gave me a travel voucher for my inconvenience and even offered to call my client the next morning and explain that it was Southwest’s fault that I missed the dinner.”  I looked her straight in the eye and said, “Thank-you for listening to me and understanding my situation.  I know that my options are limited, but it just feels good to know that you are working with me on solutions as opposed to what you can’t do.”  We both decided to wait for the next flight to come in and then make a decision on exactly how my bag would get to my hotel if it were no on that flight.

Over the next 30 minutes as I waited for that flight, she kept communicating with me.  Instead of going back to her office, she spent the majority of her time talking to me; continuing to offer her support and assistance.  In addition, we engaged in a discussion about the work that I do and our families and backgrounds.  Then she excused herself to make a phone call.  Five minutes later, she was back standing next to me.  She said that she had to call her husband and kids to let them know that she was going to be late.  Understanding her situation, I said, “If you need to go home to be with your family, I can just wait for my bags.”  She replied, “Mr. Brown, I appreciate that but, it is not just my job but my pleasure to help customers.  I am committed to helping you and enjoy doing so.  So I am not going to rest until we resolve your issue.”

The next flight came in and we were very happy to find out that my bag was on that flight.  It was kind of weird but she actually gave me a hug and was genuinely as happy as I was to see my bags on the carousel.  As I was in the taxi cab driving to my hotel, I thought about my experience that evening.  First, I was reminded of all of the good experiences I have had with Southwest airlines and secondly, it reminded me of our role as sales and service professionals.  At the end of the day, we all react to and form our perspectives and mindsets based on the experiences that we have and not so much the products we use.  We use certain products because of the emotional experience and feelings they give us.  For example, I can fly any airline that I want, but I tend to go with SW airlines because the vast majority of my experiences have been positive.  When I think of SW airlines, my emotions are positive and because we all want to avoid pain and seek pleasure- I go with the option that I feel will be the most pleasurable and least painful.

This is no different for your customers, clients and prospects.  Remember, they all have numerous choices as to where and who they buy from.  The difference comes down to whom they have had or feel they will have the best experience with.  Sell the experience your customer will have with you!  You want them, just as I am doing, to rave about the interaction they had with you…and they will keep coming back to you and tell others about!

On Friday November 14, at the beautiful OC Pavilion, my family and I celebrated the release of my first book, “What’s Your Sales Story?”.  With over 100 people in attendance, that included family, friends, colleagues and business partners, the evening was as much about the launch of a new chapter in my life and career, as it was a celebration of my book’s release.

During my talk, that Friday evening, while I discussed my journey in writing the book and how it relates to sales professionals and managers, I challenged the audience to discover their internal fires.  What is it that is burning inside them to achieve?  Instead of focusing on thoughts that are keeping them away from heir aspirations, such as “How” it will be achieved, I urged them to focus on the “Why”.   Who is it in your life that you want to set an example for?  Who is it in your life that you want to leave a legacy for? 

Focusing on the “Why” will bring a sense of calm over you, eliminating the worry and overwhelm as to “How” your dreams will be achieved.  That calm will bring about an unbreakable confidence and commitment that will guide you through your journey.  Achieving perennial success in life and in your career will transpire faster than you can imagine. Believe me, I know.

8 Years In the Making

The process of developing and launching What’s Your Sales Story? was eight years in the making. That journey was not without its fair share of challenges. 

For quite some time I was completely focused on “How” do I write a book rather than the “Why”.  I had never written a book before and found myself overwhelmed by all of the work and time required to do it.  I’ll be honest, there were times where I wondered if I was doing the right thing and even questioned my worthiness of writing a book.  Frustrated and disillusioned, I stopped writing in mid-2007.

A few months after I had stopped writing the book, I was in the process of getting ready to go out on Halloween with my daughter, Alexis.  Shutting off my computer I found myself looking at a photo of my daughter the day she was born.  And then I hear Alexis call out from the doorway to my office, “Daddy, look at me!”.  I turned from that photo to see Alexis dressed in her Super Girl costume.  In the blink of an eye I was vividly reminded just how quickly my little girl was growing up. 

As we prepared to leave and go trick or treating I found myself thinking how five years had passed since my daughter came into this world and here I was, not only still ‘thinking” about writing my book, but a few months earlier I had simply given up on it. 

I recalled the words my mom shared with me when I was 13 years old after I had asked her why she and my dad sacrificed so much for me and my brothers.  She simply said that, “the role of a parent is to ensure that their children’s lives are better than their own.” 

That Halloween evening marked a major turning point in my life.  I no longer troubled myself with the “How” behind writing my book. Instead, I shifted my focus to “Why” should I write the book.  Leaving a legacy for my daughter became my personal “Why”. It was my inspiration.  From that point on, there was not a day that went by that I did not work on my book.   Whenever I got tired or my creative juices did not flow, I would look at the photo of my daughter’s first moments in this world and I would suddenly be re-energized and the creative juices flowed.  Driven by my “Why”, my efforts were rewarded and less than a year later the book was finished

What Is Your Why?

Through it all I had the unwavering support of my wife and daughter as well as family, friends and colleagues.  All of them provided support, guidance and inspired me to continue breathing life into my vision.

Today, What’s Your Sales Story? is poised to realign how sales professionals prepare themselves and how they see their customers.  According to many sales professionals, authors, sales trainers and corporate executives who have read the book, it is “the book MISSING from every training room across America.”

In short, What’s Your Sales Story? is unlike any book you have ever read on sales. You won’t find any clichéd sales strategies or out dated techniques.  Instead, what you will discover is a new form of sales education I refer to as Reality Based Sales. No theories or generic examples. What you will read is 100% reality.

For me, the reality of the book’s completion and the next chapter in my life is a result of switching my focus from “How” to “Why”. 

Now the question is for you to discover what is your “Why”?

I am often asked what separates the average salesperson from the perennial sales performer. My answer is always the same. Perennial sales performer know, understand and fully utilize their stories to engage, communicate and connect with their customers. Average salespeople do not.

Of course, this answer isn’t always easily understood at first. The surprised and sometimes skeptical expressions quickly go away, however, as I remind others not only just how often we all use stories in our personal and professional lives, but how easy sales becomes when stories are properly used and understood.

Stories, though, are not just important to sales success. Stories are the very fabric that runs through all human interactions, framing our perspective of the world we live in.

Stories uplift our spirit and stir our emotions. They awaken our soul and breathe hope into despair. Stories shape and define entire cultures. They teach and provide perspective. They build companies and grow careers. And nothing ever gets sold without a story being told.

Stories are at the core of our genetic makeup. Throughout history stories have been used to teach, entertain, honor spiritual beliefs, settle disputes, express love and they have been used to sell. Take for example the story of David and Goliath or the Boy Who Cried Wolf. They contain universal themes and messages that can be applied to any culture or situation.

According to the Kalahari Bushmen, recognized as the oldest living culture on earth, a person’s story is viewed as his most treasured resource. From our birth to our passing, stories serve as the backbone of our existence, both personally and professionally.

When it comes to selling, just as in life, everyone has a story behind what drives them. What’s your story?

We weren’t in the car for more than ten minutes and already the day was getting off to a bad start. The VP of Sales, who was riding along with me for the day, wasted no time grilling me about my poor sales performance.

Immediately I went on the defensive. No matter how much confidence I had in my talent, I firmly felt that the territory I covered was so bad that it was my biggest obstacle to becoming a perennial sales performer. I reiterated what was told to me by my hiring manager that the Los Angeles territory was one of the worst in the nation. It had always been that way and would remain that way. In addition to the bad territory, I felt there was a lack of support and guidance from my manager, which was also hindering my progress.

Of course the VP of Sales saw the situation completely different. He was steadfast in his belief that the problem was me. “Ja Marr, let me ask you something”, the VP of Sales said. “No matter how you try and pass the buck, at the end of the day, when it comes to your performance whose responsibility is it?”

I knew what he was trying to do, but I was not about to give in. In my mind, he was trying to get me to admit that the poor sales performance was all my fault and that would give him enough HR ammo to fire me. So as to outsmart him, and not dig my own grave, I was stubbornly persistent and continued to present my version of the truth. I repeated my earlier answers about how bad the territory is and lack of support. To his credit, the VP of Sales was not about to give in either.

He narrowed his focus on me and with a stern, yet measured tone and stated, “It’s your responsibility. Nobody else’s but yours. Everything that happens, in your territory, good or bad – is your responsibility. You have talent but you have failed miserably at taking ownership and owing up to your responsibility. Until you do you will not be successful here or any other company you work at.”

Our debate ended right there. Not because I immediately understood his point, but because I had nothing left to defend myself. For the next thirty minutes we drove to the first appointment in total silence. I opened up my mind and allowed for his words to percolate. Something about the line “you will not be successful here or anywhere” resonated. My perception of what was actually possible in my territory and the meaning behind taking ownership and responsibility started to actually sink in.

We pulled up to the office of our first physician. Before we got out of the car the VP of Sales turned to me once again and asked, “So who’s responsibility is it?”

I replied confidently, “It’s my responsibility.” For the first time in my career I understood what this meant. A clear sense of relief came over me.

The VP of Sales recognized the importance of this and said, “Good. Now I can teach you how to improve your sales results.”

Without the burden of anger, resentment or frustration hanging over me, I walked toward the physician’s office with a sense of relief. A major turn in my career had taken place.

For the first time in my career, I took full responsibility for my results. I realized that all of the time I spent blaming others could have been spent trying to improve myself and learning how to be successful.

Were there uncontrollable challenges in my territory? Yes. But was I helping or hurting the situation? I realized that I was actually hurting the situation by contributing to the problems with my poor attitude as opposed to finding solutions and focusing on what I could control.

Did the gripe sessions I had with other salespeople in the company help or hurt my situation? We all have a choice when faced with adversity in sales, and that choice is to change your attitude or change your address. I decided to change my attitude and it was one of the single most contributing factors to my success. And, as I continued to learn from and study perennial top performers, I found out that it was theirs as well.

Consider the answer to the following question:

Have you ducked responsibility in your career?

If so, make a comment to this post and describe the moment where you came to the realization that your performance was your responsibility.

Who or what played a role in you realizing the importance of taking responsibility and ownership with your performance?

If you have not fully taken responsibility yet what can you do, starting today, to take ownership and put yourself on a path towards perennial sales success?

When it comes to developing your story, one of the key components is identifying, assessing and fully leveraging the potential you have as a sales professional. Everyone has potential. It’s up to you as to whether you choose to recognize it, embrace it and fulfill that potential that exists within you.

My grandfather came to recognize the potential he had in him and chose to fulfill that potential by inspiring the lives of those he encountered every day. He knew early on, going back to his days in World War II, that the bigger the obstacle or the bigger the goal, the more important it was to have others who believed in you even more than you believed in yourself. This philosophy was put to use on the battlefields in Europe and again on the battlefields throughout some of the toughest communities in San Diego.

My grandfather leveraged his knowledge and skills and embraced his own potential by proactively engaging and inspiring others to do the same in their lives. Many of those he reached out to in his lifetime, beyond just family and friends, were hundreds of misguided souls who had lost the sense of who they were and felt they had no potential. Organizing a baseball league and instilling lifelong values and skills through his coaching, these individuals not only regained clarity on the potential they had lost sight of, but they also came to realize my grandfather believed in them more than they even believed in themselves.

Over several decades he set the framework and provided the guidance for dozens of kids and even adults to discover their innate potential and fulfill it. Those who genuinely wanted to change their lives followed my grandfather’s guidance and opened their minds to the possibilities of perennial success.

The results of having my grandfather believe in them more than they did in themselves were astounding. Hundreds of boys and girls who could have wound up in prison or dead in the streets were awakened to a new set of possibilities. Today many of those boys and girls, now full grown adults, serve as a beacon of hope to their own children and others for what can be achieved with one’s potential, no matter the obstacles.

Some questions to consider:

· Who do you have in your life that sees you bigger and better than even you see yourself? What kind of potential do they see in you?

· How does the belief someone else has in you affect your performance as a sales professional?

· Are you overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations they have of you? Or do you embrace that and use it to improve your performance?

· What level of potential do you see in yourself as a sales professional? Are you achieving this potential or wasting it

Stories provide customers a frame of reference for making decisions. Stories also shape customers perspective of the products and services they seek and the brands and companies by which they buy from. Because of this companies spend millions of dollars training their salespeople on the stories behind their products and services so that they can convey them to customers. Billions of dollars are spent on telling those stories to customers through marketing and branding campaigns.

What good, however, is the story of your product or even the story of your customers if your salespeople don’t know their own story?

For far too long I’ve seen well intentioned sales professionals, their confidence masked by insecurities they refuse to acknowledge, attempt to get by with antiquated sales tactics, strategies and yes, stories, that simply don’t work. This is especially true in today’s world. Customers are savvier as to when, why and from whom they make purchases. Choices as to where to buy and who to buy from are more abundant. Customer loyalty has become the exception rather than the rule. Customers simply do not tolerate average salespeople to the degree they used to.

Think about the customers you call on. If you’re in the medical device or pharmaceutical industry the doctors you’re calling on have most likely been subjected to hundreds of sales calls from reps. They’ve learned to anticipate your sales pitch because they’ve heard it at nauseum. The moment you show up at their practice their defenses go up and you get little to no clues about their story. The same is true with their staff. Without changing the patterns and experiences that form their story of salespeople, getting them to see past their perspective of who they think you are and making the sale will be an uphill battle.

Whether the stories they have told themselves about salespeople are distorted or 100% accurate, if they believe salespeople are unethical, rude and only out to make a sale, no matter how much you’re not like that, they will see you as the salesperson in their story. To change their perspective you will have to rewrite a new version of their story.

The first step is learning your customer’s story and then applying what you learned to create a smoother sale. When you listen and apply you will find yourself no longer having to force the close. Instead, you will find yourself facilitating your customers closing themselves. Before you can learn their stories, though, you must first understand your own.

It’s been said that to succeed in sales you must possess a healthy sized ego. But what exactly does that mean? For most it means the bigger the ego the easier you will bounce back from rejection. The ego, though, is much more than just how highly you think of yourself or the amount of confidence you exude. When it comes to succeeding in sales, it’s not the size of your ego that matters, but how you manage it.

According to psychologists the ego is defined as “self”, which begs more questions than it delivers answers. Perhaps a more correct definition is to say the ego is the ultimate shape shifter. It changes how it wants to be perceived based on who you are interacting with or what you’re dealing with at any given moment. I call this our “sales self or sales ego”, which means who we are when we are selling.

From the stories we tell ourselves to the stories others tell us, our ego is behind how we interpret them. Whether the stories are helping or hurting us, they tend to get played repeatedly in our heads. The reoccurring themes produce a pattern of behavior. For salespeople, when the ego is involved, the pattern of behavior that results is both common and predictable.

Depending on the stories your ego has fed you about success, you may embrace it or you may be fearful of it. For many salespeople, when they experience success, they get so wrapped up in their accomplishments that they forget what they did to achieve that success in the first place and tend to lose sight of why they are selling. The end result is usually a crash landing into reality when they soon find themselves struggling and can’t seem to repeat their earlier successes.

If things are not going well salespeople are known to weave stories where they convince themselves and others that the negative results they’re getting is not their responsibility.

“I have a difficult territory.”

“Our products cost too much.”

“Our competitors have more advanced and innovative products.”

“A poor sales year always follows a good sales year.”

“My customers don’t like me.”

“My boss does not like me.”

“The compensation plan is no good.”

“Sales are always low during this quarter.”

“The products I have to sell don’t do everything they’re supposed to.”

Do any of these sound familiar? More than likely, you’ve either used one or more of these in your career. If not, you’ve certainly heard them from other salespeople and even sales managers.

If you only remember one thing from this bog entry, remember this; everything you do and everything your think each day is pulling you closer to your desired outcomes, or it’s pushing you further away from it.

The direction by which you choose to go is navigated by your ego. In order to move your ego out of the way of your sales success, you will want to start by rediscovering or possibly uncovering, for the first time, the primary reason why you sell. And it isn’t to make money.

Remember, making money in sales is a byproduct of whatever your why is. In this book you will learn through my own personal story and by uncovering your own story how to not let your ego get in the way of your sales success.